Six people are missing after a medical transport jet disappeared off the coast of Nantucket, Mass., in the early hours of Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, and Latitude Air Ambulance says all six are presumed dead. The Canadian company, which owns the aircraft and provides medical transfers to and from health care facilities, identified Philip Gregory Childerhose as the captain of the jet, with Thomas Henry Farquhar serving as first officer, Sarah Jane Paton as flight nurse and Jolene Beth Weir as respiratory therapist, according to details reported Oct. 7.
The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Sunday, Oct. 4, after an effort that spanned about 66 hours and 4,445 square miles of open ocean. The cause of the crash has not been determined.
Latitude Air Ambulance president Peter Byl said, “Our focus now is on supporting their families, supporting our people and assisting the authorities,” in remarks reported Oct. 7. He also said, “We will honour our colleagues by remembering the care, professionalism, and commitment they brought to their work every day.” In a company statement, Latitude Air Ambulance said, “Our four crew members were valued members of the Latitude family.”
Who Was Aboard the Jet
Two medics and two pilots, all four Canadian nationals, were aboard. The Coast Guard and Latitude Air Ambulance said a Bermudian patient and a relative of the patient were also on the jet. On Monday, Oct. 5, the Coast Guard identified the six as Childerhose, Farquhar, Paton and Weir, and Bermudians Marilyn Lavonne Bean, 66, the patient, and her son, Sergio Wayne Lottimore, 41.
Bean was being flown to Boston for treatment related to a stroke, according to details reported Oct. 7. Lottimore was senior vice president and head of specialty reinsurance at the Bermuda-based company Hamilton Re, also reported Oct. 7. Hamilton Re said in a statement, “The entire Hamilton team is heartbroken by the loss of a respected leader, colleague and friend.” The Coast Guard said next of kin of those aboard have been notified.
The Jet’s Final Minutes
The Gulfstream G100 twinjet was flying from Bermuda to Boston, departing Bermuda at 11:41 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, Oct. 2. Electrical problems had been reported by the pilot as the jet approached the coast, according to air traffic control audio posted on LiveATC.net.
An air traffic controller pressed the pilot at about 12:46 a.m. Saturday on what he had just reported, according to control recordings: “You’re coming in blind? Is that what you said?” The controller then asked whether the pilot was declaring an emergency. The pilot’s reply was inaudible.
The jet dropped from roughly 24,000 feet to 11,000 feet in about three minutes, FlightAware tracking data showed, in a rapid descent beginning at around 1:04 a.m. A Massport Fire Rescue dispatcher at around 1:12 a.m. told emergency crews to stand by for the plane, which was expected in Boston within about 15 minutes, and told them the aircraft had lost radio and radar. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a search-and-rescue alert at around 1:20 a.m. and notified the Coast Guard at around 2 a.m. Saturday that contact had been lost with the jet. Officials said the aircraft vanished from FAA radar shortly before it was due to land.
Debris and a Suspended Search
Aircrews and vessels combed the area for the jet as multiple agencies tried to establish where it had last been tracked. On Saturday night, crews spotted debris from the air ambulance floating in the ocean, and the Coast Guard confirmed the debris field was associated with the missing jet. All six aboard remained unaccounted for after the discovery. Coast Guard members continued searching waters off Nantucket island after the debris was found on Oct. 3, before the suspension was announced the following day.
The commander of the Coast Guard Northeast District, Rear Adm. Matthew Lake, said in a statement released Sunday, Oct. 4: “Suspending a search is not an easy decision.” The families and loved ones of those affected received his condolences, and he offered thanks to the partner agencies that had joined the search.
Bermuda Premier David Burt said: “While we held out hope for the best, the worst fears have been realized.” Bermuda Minister of Health Kim Wilson said it is an “incredibly difficult time for all those affected,” adding: “Let us open our hearts to the families in the hope that our expressions of love, support and compassion will bring some comfort as they attempt to deal with this terrible loss.”
Investigators Set to Deploy
Leading the investigation is the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is assisting. In a release on Monday, Oct. 5, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said the crew “reported electrical difficulties” while approaching the Boston area and that the aircraft “subsequently descended rapidly and contact with air traffic control was lost south of Nantucket.” The board said it would deploy investigators “in the coming days” to assist in the search and recovery of the aircraft, with the NTSB as accredited representatives.
